Top Fuel drag racer Bob Vandergriff Jr. told RPM2Night.com that he will not appeal or contest Thursday’s announced fine of $20,000 by the National Hot Rod Association for his actions protesting track conditions last week during the event at Atlanta Dragway.

“Obviously, I think it’s excessive and probably not justified,” Vandergriff said of the fine to RPM2Night. “I obviously was very exuberant in my protest, but in the end it doesn’t matter. If it costs me $20,000 to potentially save somebody from getting hurt, or potentially worse, than I’m okay with it.”

Vandergriff called the conditions at Atlanta Dragway were unsafe in his mind. After completing his own run, and almost losing control and crashing, he left his car at the end of the active ractrack and walked back up the dragstrip to voice his concerns to NHRA officials about the safety of the racetrack. His actions and comments to those officials are what drew the rare fine from the NHRA.

Vandergriff still feels justified in his protest, but will pay the fine and put the issue behind him — providing his latest comments draw further sanctions from the NHRA.

“I wasn’t going to risk another car going down that racetrack and somebody potentially getting hurt,” Vandergriff said. “I’m not going to appeal it, it’s a waste of time. (NHRA) is the judge, jury and executioner on that kind of stuff. I really don’t have the time, effort or desire to defend a position that I know was right against somebody who’s not going to agree and try to justify it wasn’t.”

It’s known as “Carburetor Day” – or in its simplest term, just “Carb Day.”

But the final day of on-track action Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway before Sunday’s 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 is so much more.

Especially on NBCSN, which will have wall-to-wall live coverage starting Friday morning.

Here’s how Friday’s schedule breaks down:

11 a.m. ET: Carb Day kicks off with the final practice for Sunday’s Indy 500. The session will last one hour in length.

12 p.m. ET: We’re going racing! Strap in for coverage of the Indy Lights’ Freedom 100 on the famous Brickyard.

1:30 p.m. ET: We’ll have coverage of the annual IndyCar Pit Stop Challenge. Which teams have the best – and most importantly, fastest and accurate – pit crews? Team Penske has won 10 of the last 12, including the last two years edging out Schmidt Peterson Motorsports each time. Who can potentially beat them this year?

1) 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi will discuss how it used to upset him when people suggested he “backed into” his big win and how he didn’t really feel vindicated until he qualified on the front row for last year’s race.
2) Defending 500 winner Takuma Sato, the first Japanese driver to ever win at Indianapolis, discusses the impact of his big win personally and professionally, particularly back in his native land.
3) An essay by Robin Miller on Stefan Wilson giving up his ride last year to allow Fernando Alonso to race for Andretti Autosport.